


Avatar: Trials of a New Age - Book 1: Lies

by DoodleFlare, OneForAllMedia



Series: Avatar: Trials of a New Age [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Air Nomads (Avatar), Avatar: Trials of a New Age, Commonwealth of Si Wong, Earth Kingdom (Avatar), Earth Kingdom Avatar, F/F, F/M, Fire Nation (Avatar), Gen, Long, M/M, Multi, New Avatar (Avatar TV), New Locations, Next Avatar (Avatar TV), Other, Plot, Some archive warnings apply, Spirit World, Swamp Tribe (Avatar), Tags May Change, Team Avatar - Freeform, Trials of a New Age, United Republic of Nations (Avatar), Warnings May Change, Water Tribe(s) (Avatar), ongoing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-16 15:48:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16498463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoodleFlare/pseuds/DoodleFlare, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneForAllMedia/pseuds/OneForAllMedia
Summary: Avatar Liu Sukhon has been missing for three months since she was outed to the world as Avatar Korra's successor. She has fled from her home in the Earth Kingdom town of Spring Bud Bay in oder to avoid her destiny, at least for a little while longer, and the search is on. With her pumalope companion Felin by her side, she now resides in the seedy underbelly of Republic City. Liu intends to forge her own path and master the four elements in her own time, without the watchful eyes of literally everyone upon her. So when she meets a pair of hot-tempered siblings from the Fire Nation named Minako and Haruto Kashura, their entire lives are changed forever. The world just got a whole lot more interesting, and with many parties trying to find the new Team Avatar for their own reasons, no place is safe for too long. Will Liu be able to handle the pressure everyone is putting upon her? Or will she falter and let the world fall into the hands of the mysterious organization threatening to destroy everything that she loves? The chase is on and the world is watching and waiting for the success, or the failure, of this new Avatar.





	1. Prologue

Fire... Air... Water... Earth... My father used to tell me stories about Avatar Korra and all that she did for the world. She helped usher in a new age of technology, put an end to quite a few wars, and brought the spirit world closer to our own. The world may have changed around her but she never stopped trying to help. Now that she’s been gone for eighteen years, the whole world is in a buzz over where the next Avatar might be hiding. Some wonder if we even need an Avatar anymore. But my brother and I know different. We found the next Avatar, a girl named Liu from the Earth Kingdom. Liu is an incredible bender and though she may doubt herself, we believe in her. The world will always need an Avatar, and we need her.


	2. The Runaway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter: Adult Language and implications of danger.

In a bustling shopping center in the heart of Republic City, a young woman wandered through the swarm of people, admiring the wares on display. The air was thick and heavy, humidity oozing through the crowd.  She fanned herself with her hand as she leaned against a wall. Long brown hair stuck to her face, despite her best efforts to tame the voluminous mass. The people passing by started to reduce in number so she adjusted her blue book-bag, taking a compact mirror from it, and waited patiently for an opening. She opened the mirror to make sure her makeup hadn’t melted and was happy to see that her tanned face was still in order, despite the heat. Her mismatched eyes turned upward as a satisfied smile graced her lips. She put the mirror away and took out her phone to snap a quick selfie before she continued her people watching.

There was a particular stall she had been searching for that day that had recently opened; a novelty store for charms and other gifts that were unusual, to say the least. Just as it seemed there was no chance of finding said stall, however, she spotted the familiar shape of her most favorite animal waiting for her on the other side of the sea of people. Her eyes lit up.

“Purple Pentapi!” she squealed in excitement, slipping into the crowd. She squeezed past dozens of faces, apologizing as she stepped on a few peoples’ toes, and eagerly bounced in place as she reached the stall. Earrings, charms, and many other assorted paraphernalia glimmered before her. As she glanced around the table a particular find caught her eye. She held up a perfect purple pentapus paperweight made of glass and analyzed the craftsmanship. “Could this be a Tom-Tom Toyozo original?”

The shop owner, a lanky fellow with a strange beard, smiled at her. “You have a good eye there, Miss.” She blushed at the compliment. “I’m Jung-Hee, the owner of this shop. What’s your name?”

“I’m Minako,” She replied. “And I wouldn’t say that I have a good eye or anything like that. I’m just a huge fan of Mr. Toyozo’s work, mostly because he makes the cutest sculptures of purple pentapi, but I like his other stuff too!”

“So you like pentapi, huh?” a low gravelly voice interjected. Jung-Hee glared past Minako at the man who had called out. She turned to look at where he was glaring. A greasy looking man in an apron grinned. “If so, you’ll love what I’ve got for ya.” He pulled a skewer with three battered pentapi on it from a basket. “Deep fried, pentapus on a stick. Only fifty yuan at Lo’s Puffin-Crab Shack.”

The girl swallowed thickly, a look of disgust on her face as she tried not to vomit. “Er… No thanks. I have a sandwich.” As other patrons flocked to the food stand for cheap, deep-fried goodness she turned back to Jung-Hee.

“So-” She inspected the item once more, “-how much for this beauty?”

“That’ll be four thousand yuan.” He replied with a smile.

“Oh.” Her eyes widened. “...Is there a student discount, maybe?”

His smile turned into a frown, complete with furrowed brows, and he nabbed the paperweight from her hands. “No.” He said curtly.

“Yeah… I figured. Sorry for wasting your time.” She slouched forward in dismay and carried on past the food vendor, avoiding his gaze.. A cheery tune signaled from her purse and she answered as she walked. “Hello?”

“Hey, Minako!” It was her brother, calling for the fifth time that day.

“Haruto? Aren’t you supposed to be unpacking?” She huffed.

“Yes. Yes, I am. So anyway, I wanted to ask, could you pick up some more milk while you’re out?”

“Haruto, I just bought a gallon yesterday!”

“It uh… it went bad?”

“Of course it did.” She pinched the bridge of her nose.

“So, come on, help a bro out?” Asked Haruto.

Minako sighed. “Fine. But when I get home we are gonna have a talk about roommate etiquette.”

“Jeez, if it’s that big a deal I’ll get my own milk.”

“It’s not just the milk! You keep leaving your clothes everywhere too! I should not have to see my own brother’s underwear when I go to take a shower! And furthermore-” before she could finish, her face met the concrete floor.

“Um… Minako?” Haruto’s muffled voice called from the sidewalk.

“Ow…” She reached out and grabbed her phone. “I’ll call you back.” She hung up and pushed herself up onto her knees. “Ugh, that was not fun.”

“Shit, are you okay?” A girl in glasses ran over to Minako’s side. A strand of black hair fell in front of her face as she held out a hand to help Minako up. “I am so sorry about that! He’s usually very good at staying out of the sidewalk.”

Minako turned to look at her and gave a sheepish grin, grabbing her hand and taking in her features. The girl’s skin was pale and contrasted beautifully with her dark hair. Her brown eyes looked tired and Minako was shocked at how smoothly she had helped her up, as she looked rather skinny. “It’s fine,” Minako said. “I really should have been paying attention to where I was walking any… way…” She paused. “Is that a pumalope?” She pointed to the ground.

The other girl looked down at the enormous tan feline lying on the sidewalk in front of the newsstand. The lazy creature, who easily could have eaten a human’s head in one bite if it so desired, yawned and licked its chops. Minako was taken aback and a little frightened.

“Uh, yeah. That would be a pumalope. My pumalope actually.” The nameless girl responded casually. “Bad Felin! No tripping people!” She scolded the cat as she used her foot to push it away from the sidewalk. The pumalope named Felin rolled over, stretched, and stood up. The top of his head reached Minako’s eyes and, with the added height of his majestic horns, he towered over the two humans who dared to disturb his nap.

“Aren’t they... endangered?” Minako asked as Felin began sniffing her.

“...So?”

“Huh.” Minako squeaked. “Okay then… I’ll just assume you know what you’re doing considering the fact that he isn’t eating me and the police around here don’t seem to care that you have him.” She said, smiling.

The other girl laughed and Minako couldn’t help but join in at the sound of it. When they finally calmed down, Minako held out her hand to shake the other’s.

“My name’s Minako by the way.”

“I’m Lin!” She grinned, shaking Minako’s hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Lin.” Minako tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, which unsurprisingly had a purple pentapus earring hanging from it, and brushed dust off her clothes. After a quick inspection of her blouse and skirt, she turned her attention back to Lin. “So if you don’t mind me asking, where on earth did you get a pumalope?”

Lin glanced down at her pet for a moment. “Well, I found him actually. He was injured and I took care of him.”

“Wow, you must be pretty good with animals then.” Minako remarked.

“Not really. He’s kind of an asshole.” Felin, who was turned away from them after being scolded, looked over at the two with an almost offended look, which was undercut only by the pile of wheat and protein dangling from his mouth.

“Hey! That’s my sandwich!” Minako cried. “You stupid cat burglar!”

“Felin! Put it down!” Lin hissed down at the cat. He promptly swallowed the sandwich whole.

“Welp. There goes my lunch.” Minako groaned and crossed her arms.

“For the love of-! I am so sorry...” Lin paused. “If there is any way I can make this up to you please tell me.”

“It’s fine, really. I’m just gonna have to buy another sandwich, that’s all.”

A loud gurgling sound emitted from Lin’s stomach causing the two girls to share in an awkward look at one another.

“Sounds like your pumalope isn’t the only one hungry around here." Minako said, holding back a laugh.

Lin’s glasses-clad face went bright red and she began to chuckle nervously.

“Um, odd question, but would you like to grab lunch? I was going to buy milk, but I’ll let my _brother_ take care of that.” Minako said, shoving her phone into her purse with a smile.

“That sounds nice but, I don’t really think I can afford lunch.” She smiled bashfully, sticking her hands in her empty brown pockets.

Minako frowned. “Oh well, that won’t do. How about my treat?”

Lin’s eyes widened. “A-Are you serious?!”

“Trust me you’d be doing me a favor,” Minako laughed.

Her face lit up and she grabbed onto Minako’s arm. “I would _love_ to go to lunch with you! Let’s go!” Without even letting the other respond, Lin tugged her down the street to the nearest restaurant. Felin stretched and sauntered behind them.

 

The smell of coffee permeated the air of the bakery with its dark, rich aroma. The two young ladies were enjoying their sandwiches as Felin lay beneath the table, his large head resting on Minako’s feet.

“He sure is affectionate.” She said with a giggle.

“I wouldn’t say that he’s affectionate. Just protective.” Lin punctuated her sentence with a large bite of sandwich.

Minako smiled at her new friend. “So Lin, why do you work at a newsstand anyway? Those things hardly get any business nowadays what with T.V. and Internet.”

Lin scratched her head awkwardly. “I’m a bit new to the city and they happened to be hiring at the time. It’s not much but at least it’s something, am I right?”

“Yeah, I can understand that.” Minako replied. “I wouldn’t mind having a different job myself. It pays well enough, at least.”

“Really? Where do you work?” Lin asked.

Minako shrugged. “I’m an assistant for Senator Irochi.”

Lin blinked. “You… you poor thing…”

“It’s just that it takes up a lot of time that I could use for my studies. I go to Republic City University and I had to drop a course last semester to start work.” Minako took a sip of her fruity tea blend.

“Oh really? What are you studying?” Lin asked, tilting her head slightly.

“I major in Elemental Studies. I enjoy learning about the different forms of bending and the philosophies that surround them.” Minako beamed as she talked about her passion for the elements. “It’s incredible actually, the way that people use their bending. We even got to take a trip to Air Temple Island before finals! It was so cool! Oh and this one time-”

Minako was cut off by a sudden loud alert on a television behind the bar. Two reporters, a man and a woman both clad in a bizarre uniform, appeared on the screen.

“Hello and welcome back to Avatar Watch. I’m Kujiro,” Said the man, his bobbed haircut falling in his face..

“And I’m Musashi.” The woman added, careful not to trip on her own hair, which was well overdue for a trim. “It’s been five months since the Avatar went missing and everyone’s been wondering where is she now?”

“Recent reports suggest that she may or may not be in Omashu.” Said Kujiro.

“But this wouldn’t be the first time that false reports were made,” Musashi added. “Just last week there was a huge publicity stunt in Ba Sing Se where someone claimed the Avatar was within their very walls.”

“Turned out to be the Avatar’s mother… Because she works there… it was very awkward for everyone involved.” Kujiro shrugged his shoulders.

Musashi put a hand on his shoulder. “We at Neko news would like to urge everyone to be vigilant while on the lookout.”

“But just as a reminder, _this_ is what the Avatar actually looks like.” He said. The TV displayed a lovely picture of a young woman. She had long black hair with side swept bangs, dark brown eyes, and light skin. She looked happy and was holding up a trophy.

Musashi’s voice played over the picture. “Liu Sukhon. She’s currently eighteen years old and was last seen in Spring Bud Bay in the northern part of the Earth Kingdom.”

Kujiro’s voice chimed in after her. “If you or anyone you know has seen the Avatar do not hesitate to inform the local authorities as her family has stated that they are worried sick about her.”

Minako stared at the image on the screen. It was one she had seen many times during the past few months. The voices of Musashi and Kujiro were practically burned into her head as well. Minako wasn’t sure what made her stare so intently at the picture this particular time she saw it. Perhaps it was the talk of the elements that had her lingering on the image. Just as Minako was about to look away, however, she recognized something in the photograph. Those were Lin’s eyes, albeit less tired looking and lacking thick-rimmed glasses. Minako’s own eyes darted between the picture and Lin, who looked rather nervous. Her head was tilted downward with her bangs falling as if to cover her face and she refused to meet Minako’s gaze.

Minako squinted at Lin. “Wait a second.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Are you-?” She was stopped mid-sentence by Lin’s lightning fast hand.

Lin shushed the girl, with an almost frightened look on her face. “Don’t say another word.” She whispered. Minako nodded and Lin let go of her face. “We should go somewhere… less crowded.” Lin added gesturing to the door.

Minako nodded again nervously. Felin was already up and standing next to the table. The two rushed out of the shopping center as quickly as they could, while a few onlookers’ eyes narrowed. The abandoned Fellin meandered out of the bakery behind them.

After the two had gained a reasonable amount of distance away from the bustling shopping center, they decreased their pace. Minako, who looked like she had been holding in her reaction for a few minutes, was about to yell out but Lin swiftly spearheaded the conversation.

“Alright, so before you loudly blurt it out; yes. Yes, I am. So if we could avoid the twenty-minute awestruck back-and-forth, of ‘oh-my-gosh-you’re-totally-the-Avatar’ shtick I would appreciate it.”

Minako paused and looked the other in the eyes. “Alright then. Lead the way.”

Lin, or apparently Liu, stopped for a moment to let her breath slow down before turning around and continuing forward. She stayed silent until they got to their supposed destination.

They approached a dirty alleyway, full of unappealing people either making their residence in cardboard boxes or nothing at all. Felin plopped down in an empty spot close to a trashcan and Liu took a seat next to him, letting out a heavy breath.

Minako took in the underwhelming surroundings, noting the grime-ridden street and the smell of trash in the air. Minako sat down silently next to Liu, turning with a look of concern.

“Is this… where you live?” She said hesitantly. Minako finally noticed just how old Liu’s clothes looked, covered in dirt and patched in some places.

Liu looked back up at Minako, hesitating on her next sentence. “Yeah. Is that an issue?” she answered back, a hint of offense in her tone.

“No! No, of course not! It’s just… different!” She held her hands up in defense, laughing nervously.

Liu raised an eyebrow at the other girl’s laughter. She quickly glanced over the strange behavior and looked away again. “You’re not gonna turn me in, are you?” She asked, concern lacing her tone.

Minako's expression became more serious. "Listen, I've got no reason to turn you in. If you really are, you know, I want to help. In any way I can."

Liu turned her head back to Minako, a look of genuine surprise painting her face. She quickly glanced down, as to avoid eye contact. “I don’t really know how well you can help me but...” She looked back up, giving the other a small smile. “I really appreciate you not turning me in.”

Minako smiled warmly in return. “Don’t mention it.” Her smile turned into a grimace as she recalled their surroundings. “As for helping you, how about I let you crash on my couch for a while? This doesn’t exactly seem like the safest place to live.”

The girl’s face, still concealed by glasses, turned from a small smile back to concern very quickly. She turned away from Minako again. “I really don’t know about that. I don’t wanna burden you.” She admitted, biting her lip. Liu turned back to face Minako, giving her a somber smile. “Besides, this place isn’t too bad once you get used to it!”

Minako gave her a blank stare. “You live next to a trash can.”

Liu opened her mouth as if to say something a couple of times before retorting. “I mean, I don’t _always_ live next to a trash can!” A defense that immediately crumbled as a rat emerged and made knowing eye contact with Liu.

“Oh come on! I’ll take you back to my place, you can meet my brother, Felin can have his own space on the porch, it’ll be great!” Minako grinned widely at her and grabbed her arm, dragging her along.

 

“No.”

“Oh come on Haruto!” Minako shouted up at her brother’s freckled face.

“Absolutely not.” Haruto folded his arms across his slender chest, brown eyes narrowing at the newcomer. He had no trouble glaring down at her from his height.

“She needs our help and we have an empty couch. She’s staying.” Minako crossed her own arms as Haruto rolled his eyes.

“You can’t just pick up a homeless girl off the street–” His eyes darted to Felin, the cat’s intense gaze sending a shiver down his spine. Haruto gripped his curly black hair with both hands in distress. “–especially if they have a fucking endangered animal with them—I don’t care how hot she is!” He turned to look at Liu. “No offense.”

“Um, why would I-?”

“And on TOP of that, Mom and Dad are already paying for us to live here rent free, they are NOT going to be okay with us taking in a HOMELESS LADY AS A TENANT!” Haruto’s face seemed to be as red as his jacket as he finished ranting.

Minako sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Haruto can I speak to you for a moment in the kitchen?”

“The answer to that is no because you’re going to smack me in there.”

“Haruto!” Her own face started turning red, mostly in her ears.

“Anything you want to say to me in there you can say in front of your little friend, okay?”

“Alright, fine! She’s staying because she’s the Avatar!”

The room succumbed to a painful silence after that. Liu and Haruto both had wide eyes and were staring at Minako in shock.

“Um...” Liu cut through the silence. “I mean, that’s not really _that_ important, right?”

Haruto pushed his sister behind him and stood between the two girls. “Listen I don’t know what kind of bullshit you sold my sister but I’m not buying it. So either you get the hell out of here or you show me some proof.”

“Haruto…” Minako huffed. Liu interrupted them with a sigh.

“Fine. I’ll prove it to you.” Without any hesitation, Liu raised her hands. With a wave of her arm she pulled a rock with googly eyes toward her, allowing to float gently in the air. She dropped the rock and then summoned some water out of a glass and guided it to her mouth before drinking it.

Liu let her arms fall to her side and gave Haruto a challenging look. Haruto stood speechless for a moment before picking up his rock and setting it back on the counter.

“Thank you for so heartlessly dropping Craggy on the floor, _Avatar_.” He huffed and crossed his arms, mirroring his sister’s stance.

Liu visually tensed at his statement, biting her lip. “Sorry,” She muttered curtly, looking away from the two of them.

From his left, Haruto felt a ferocious glare directed at him. He turned, fully expecting to see Felin ready to eat him and was instead met with five feet and four inches of rage disguised as his sister.

“What?” He challenged, refusing to back down from her stare.

Her left eye twitched. “What?! WHAT?! Okay first of all you clearly just made her very uncomfortable for no reason even though she just provided you with the proof you asked for which she didn’t need to do in the first place because the proof is in all the millions of posters and podcasts and tv spots and web articles littered with her very specific face. Secondly, how was she supposed to know that Craggy is a beloved member of this family when you neglected to introduce him to her? Thirdly, Craggy is a rock and can handle being dropped which is specifically why we got him in the first place so now on top of being rude you’re invalidating the whole argument we had about why we couldn’t have a cat! And lastly, this is still my apartment! _You’re_ the one who just moved in! I can decide who does or doesn’t live here as long as they can earn their keep in one way or another and you can’t tell me what to do!” She seethed for a moment, breathing deeply with a frown stretched so low it created an arch through which only anger and hatred could pass through.

Haruto was taken aback for a moment. He hadn’t heard his dear little sister this angry in a long time. He steeled himself, however, being unable to resist a chance to get the last word in.

“Craggy isn’t a rock. He’s a sediment.” He said.

The last thing he saw before he hit the ground was a hand flying at his face so fast he was almost certain it was going to break his jaw.

 

Haruto awoke dazed and confused. How long had passed? A day? A week? He would never know. As he slowly regained consciousness he heard a voice.

“Did you kill him?” Liu asked, mildly concerned.

Haruto grumbled. “Nope. Death would be mercy. She has no concept of such a thing.”

Minako flicked his forehead in response. “Get up, doofus.” She retorted, holding out a hand.

“Ow! Okay, damn.” Haruto sat up and took the offered hand. Minako pulled him up and went to a nearby linen closet to find her first-aid kit.

“You two sure made up quickly.” Liu said with surprise.

Haruto simply shrugged. “What can we do? We’re stuck with each other.” He said, half-heartedly glaring at the back of his sister’s head.

Minako returned with the kit and Haruto sat on the sofa with an annoyed slouch. Minako began tending to his injured cheek. Liu stood in front of the couch looking away from the two and surveyed the living room. She noticed several family photos on the mantle and her eyes lingered there for a moment, before being pulled from her thoughts by Minako’s voice.

“Uh, Liu?” She asked.

Liu jumped at the break in silence and whipped her head towards her. “What?” She said in a dazed tone.

“Well, um, you see it’s just that, uh…” Minako trailed off.

“...Yeah?” Liu prodded.

Minako sighed. “I’m just a little confused as to why you’re here.”

Liu blinked, confused. “I thought you were inviting me to stay here...?”

Minako shook her head. “No not here, like _here_ , in Republic City.”

“Oh.” Liu turned her head away from the two of them. “You mean why I ran away, right?”

The two siblings looked at each other and then back to Liu.

Haruto stood up and spoke. “Look if it makes you uncomfortable to talk about, we’re not going to force you. But it’s information we’d definitely be grateful for.”

Minako put her hand on Liu’s shoulder and gave her a soft smile.

Liu returned her smile with a grimace. “I really don’t think it’s something I want to get into. Maybe another time.”

Minako’s face fell slightly but she gave Liu’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Haruto sighed and headed to the kitchen.

“I’m gonna put some ice on this. Minako can you get dinner started?”

Minako turned to Haruto and rolled her eyes. “Yeah sure. No problem.”

“Oh um!” Liu’s voice cut into the sibling’s conversation. “M-Maybe I could help? Since you’re letting me stay here it seems only fair.”

Minako’s face lit up with a bright grin. “That would be wonderful.” She shoved Liu into the kitchen and handed her an apron. “Can you chop some onions? Top shelf, pantry. Next to the potatoes, but not the red potatoes, the plain potatoes. If you look behind them you’ll see the-I’ll stop. I'm sorry. You’ll find them.”

Liu took a moment to compose herself over the other’s excitement. She put on the apron on and nodded. Walking over to the potatoes, but not the red potatoes, Liu decided to take the time to start a conversation. “Is it really okay that you just knocked your brother out?”

Minako tied her own apron and pulled her hair back out of her face. “Well, normally he doesn’t go down in one hit so this is a new one. But sometimes when we argue we just kind of turn off our brains and devolve into primitive monkeys with no common sense or regard for debate. I mean, last week he said I danced like a drunk sky bison and I got so mad I threw Craggy at him! Come to think of it I threw a lot of things at him last week.” Minako shrugged and pulled out a cutting board and a sharp knife.

Liu eyed the knife. “Right… A lot of things, huh? ...sharp things?”

“What?” Minako asked.

“What?” Liu deflected.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Minako set the cutting board on the table.

“So anyways, I think you’ll really like this dish. It’s my mom’s recipe and that woman can cook like you wouldn’t believe!” Minako’s voice seemed to fluctuate in a sing-song manner as she talked.

Liu finally brought over the onions, grinning at Minako’s fluctuations. “I bet she can.” She placed the onions next to Minako. “What exactly are you making?”

“I hope you like spicy things, we’re making sparrow-chicken curry.” Minako said with a grin.

“Oh!” Liu let out a sound of delight. “That sounds delicious. Honestly, I like any food really. As long as I get to eat a decent meal.”

“Yeah… about that, how long exactly has it been since you’ve gotten one of those?” Minako asked awkwardly.

“Well, technically it was only a couple hours ago!” Liu laughed. The awkward silence remained. Liu’s laugh slowed, and she cleared her throat. “That’s not what you’re asking. Well, it’s been a couple of months. Not that I haven’t eaten, I just...haven’t eaten well.”

“I guess we’re making a double batch then. Go ahead and chop, like, four onions.” With that, Minako began to pull out various pots and pans, a determined look on her face.

Liu saluted jokingly. “You’ve got it, boss!”

 

Haruto watched in amazement, or perhaps envy, as Liu devoured her third plate of food. Minako was visibly holding in laughter at his facial expressions, her chopsticks hovering over her plate, with a potato clutched in them. Liu slurped up the rest of the sauce on her plate and set it on the floor for Felin to lick.

“Welp, time for fourths!” Liu proclaimed.

“Fourths?!” Haruto sputtered. “You’re getting _fourths_?!” Minako let go of her mouth and laughed at him.

“Sorry, is that too much? I can stop if you need me to.” Liu suddenly looked a little panicked.

Minako reigned in her laughter and held up her hands. “No, no. You’re fine. We have plenty.”

“I’m just amazed her stomach hasn’t fucking exploded yet.” He said incredulously.

“I will stop eating when I want to!” She aggressively countered, getting herself another plate. “I’m so hungry!”

“If that’s the last of the curry, and you’re _still_ hungry after that, feel free to have anything that’s in Varrickware™ from the fridge.” Minako called.

“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to eat your leftovers.”

Haruto rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “The only reason we even _have_ leftovers is because she insists on doing so. Then she proceeds to let them sit in the refrigerator for six weeks and blames _me_ for not eating them.”

“I do not!”

“You do too.”

“Do _not_!”

“Do too! And you never tell me when they’re in there for too long and then I open them up and they stink, like you.”

Minako gasped. “Rude.”

“Well then,” Liu interjected. “What do you guys have?”

Minako turned to Liu. “There’s some roast turtle-duck in there from last week.”

“There’s also some pumpkin soup from today I didn’t like, and some yellow carp that’s not too old. I think there might be some hippo-cow burger patties but don’t quote me on that. Oh, and chocolate cake if you want it.” Haruto added.

The siblings looked over to see that Liu had already gotten out all of the leftovers and was currently heating up the pumpkin soup. Once it was finished, she pulled the bowl out and drank the entire thing. As the two cleaned up their own dinner messes, Liu fed herself and Felin every last morsel of food. Liu sat on the floor contentedly, a hand resting on her slightly swollen stomach. Felin sat next to her, chewing on a fish bone.

Haruto put away the last of the dishes and glanced at his new guests. He smiled and turned around and leaned against a cupboard, arms folded.

“You two look pretty happy now.” He said with a grin.

Liu just gave him a thumbs up. Felin meowed in response.

Haruto let out a laugh, which sounded higher than one would suspect, and held out a hand to her.

“Oh, no. I can stand, but thank you.” Liu pushed herself up off the ground and stretched.

Haruto’s face fell slightly, but he shrugged headed to the living room.

After Liu finished stretching out her body, she located an actual seat in the living room. She spotted the plush looking couch and moseyed on over next to Minako, who was busying herself with a puzzle on the coffee table. Liu then obnoxiously plopped down onto the soft surface.

“Gah!” Minako dropped the puzzle piece in her hand, which landed under the table. “Dang it.”

“Oh no!” Liu watched as the puzzle piece flew under the table. She winced. “Crap, Minako. I’m so sorry. Uh, here, I’ll get it.” Liu got up and got onto her knees to try and find the piece.

Minako bent down and started feeling the floor. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I can get- OW!” Minako drew back and cradled her chest. “Yup, that was my knee digging into my boob.”

When Liu heard the ‘ow’ she tried to look up to see what it was, not realizing her head was under the coffee table. “OW FUCK!”

Haruto called from down the hall. “You two okay in there?”

“We’re fine!” Minako responded.

“You sure? Cause if for some reason befriending a total stranger happened to go wrong I’d be more than happy to help.” He said, snark in his voice.

“Really Haruto, we’re good.”

“Knock twice if she’s making you say that.”

“Haruto!”

“Just saying, I’ll come to the rescue.”

Minako’s palm engulfed her face. “Good grief.”

“I’ll come in like a ninja, hiyah!” He chopped the air exaggeratedly.

“Of course you will.”

“News Report: Strong, handsome pilot beats up nerd Avatar and overgrown cat.”

“Uh-huh.”

“...It could happen.”

Minako directed her attention to Liu. “What do you think? You gonna let my brother take you down or… Liu?” All she got in response was a rumbling snore.

“...I mean, I didn’t think we were that dull.” Minako was met with more snoring and the sight of the Avatar dead asleep with her rear still in the air and her face pressed against the floor.

“Liu?”

“Huh? What?” Liu said, waking up from under the coffee table.

“Are you alright?” Minako asked.

Liu thought for a moment on how to answer. “I’m… I’m more than alright.” She scratched her head, pleased.

“Well if you’re sleepy you should probably go to bed. You can use mine if you want.”

“No, no, I couldn’t put you out like that.”

“Fair enough. You can use Haruto’s then. He’s been sleeping on the couch lately anyways.”

“Wait, what?” Haruto asked.

“Are you sure?” Liu asked Minako.

“Completely sure,” Minako told her.

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Haruto asked.

“Nope,” Minako giggled, sticking her tongue out at him.

Liu got up and walked over to Haruto. She bowed in appreciation. “I really can’t thank you enough. You guys have been so nice to me.”

Haruto blushed. “Well, I mean… It’s uh… It’s cool. You know, whatever.”

“If you really don’t mind then I’m going to get some sleep. Thank you,” Liu said and exited to Haruto’s room.

Haruto looked at Minako. “...so am I on the couch tonight or what?”

“Oh quit complaining,” Minako told him.

“Quit complaining? Thanks to you I’ve got some random hot girl sleeping in my bed. Without me!”

“Would you rather sleep in _my_ room?” She questioned.

His face twisted into a grimace. “Couch it is.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“It’s so damn pink.” He shuddered.

Minako laughed at him and sat back down on the couch. “Wanna help me with this?” She gestured to the puzzle.

He sighed and smiled. “Sure thing, turtle duck.” He sat down next to her and ruffled her hair. Her grin broadened. He picked up the piece that had fallen and turned on the television. He quickly punched in the number for the local news.

“Really? Neko News? Come on, Haruto.” Minako stuck out her tongue in distaste.

“Hey, don’t judge. I need to know what the weather is going to be like.” He tuned out his sister and focussed on the broadcast.

“-And that just goes to show that not every Rabaroo is fluffy and sweet. Why don’t we go over to Keanu for our weather report.” Said a portly man with a thick mustache.

A slim, tan man with a tattooed, bald head appeared on the screen in front of a map of the country. “Thanks, Jin Soo. It’s gonna be a beautiful sunny day in Republic City tomorrow with highs in the 80’s…”

Minako turned her attention back to the puzzle while her brother focused on the tv. The bright orange piece in her hand, part of a sunset, was being particularly difficult to work with. Just as she deduced where it belonged and set it in place, the weather forecast ended. She glanced back up to watch.

“That’s it for this week’s forecast, and like our city, stay beautiful.”

“Thank you, Keanu. Now for a special broadcast from our very own Avatar Watch!”

“Uh-oh.” Haruto said. The familiar music the two siblings had come to recognize played and the two eccentric looking reporters graced the screen.

“Hello everyone, welcome to Avatar Watch. I’m Musashi.”

“And I’m Kujiro. Tonight we have something a little different from our usual broadcasts.”

Haruto looked nervously over his shoulder at the sliding glass door to the patio. Minako raised an eyebrow at him.

“That’s right! As we all know the Avatar is somewhere out there. And although we as citizens are concerned for her whereabouts, there are two people who are more concerned than anyone.” Musashi said.

“And no, it’s not us.” Kujiro added with a chuckle.

“We have two special guests with us here tonight over our live feed all the way from the Earth Kingdom.”

“So go ahead and say hello.”

The screen split in two as a second couple of people appeared on screen very different from Musashi and Kujiro. The woman was small with a stern face. The man next to her had long hair and was so tall and muscular that he barely fit into the frame. The man had his large, beefy arm around the tiny woman.

“Hello,” The woman was the first to speak. Her voice was hoarse. “My name is...Aditi Sukhon.” She had to pause to take a shaky breath.

“And I’m Leo Sukhon.” The large man spoke more calmly than his very distressed wife. He smiled despite how tired his face looked.

Musashi smiled. “Wonderful to have you two here.”

“Indeed.” Kujiro chimed in. “So tell us, as the parents of Avatar Liu, why do you think your daughter ran away?”

“Well, I...” Aditi tried to speak but quickly lost her voice as tears overtook her. She covered her face to try and hide the oncoming episode.

“I think,” Leo took over, rubbing his wife’s back. “She had her own reasons that neither of us could fathom. We wish we knew why.” His face looked somber as he continued to comfort his wife.

Kujiro looked uncomfortable at the woman’s sobbing and Musashi cut in. “So Mr. Sukhon is there anything you’d like to say to Liu, just in case she’s watching tonight?”

Leo faced the camera and gave a warm smile. “Please come home.”

“Anything you’d like to add Mrs. Sukhon?” Musashi asked.

Aditi couldn’t bring herself to say anything as she sobbed into her hand. Leo just shook his head ‘no’ for her.

Kujiro looked off the screen and nodded briefly. “Thank you both so much for speaking with us tonight. I’m sure this is very hard on you. This concludes tonight’s Avatar Watch. I’m Kujiro.”

“And I’m Musashi.”

“Thank you for tuning in.” They said simultaneously.

The tv shut off, Haruto’s hand furiously holding down the power button. He looked to Minako and when their eyes met he knew that the image of Leo and Aditi’s grief-stricken faces was burned into her head as well. They sat there in silence, staring with questions forming in each of their minds.

Minako broke the silence. “Do you think she knows they miss her this much?”

“I dunno, sis.” Haruto sighed and rubbed his temples. “I’m sure she has some sort of idea but… It’s not if she knows that bothers me. It’s if she cares.”

“Don’t say that.”

“What? It’s not like you weren’t thinking it too. Her parents are worried sick over her and she doesn’t even make the effort to contact them. What’s the worst that could happen to her if she goes back home with them? Crowded by paparazzi? Thousands of fan-letters giving her paper-cuts? But living alone on the street, with no support?! She could be mugged, or killed, o-or assaulted by drunken creeps!” Haruto seethed for a moment, tears pricking at the edge of his eyes, light brown darkened by his anger.

Minako put a hand to his freckled face. “Haruto she’s survived as long as she has, I doubt she’ll let herself get hurt. Plus she’s got Felin to protect her.”

“And what’s she gonna do when someone with a gun comes along or someone stronger than her mangy feline?”

“You make it sound like that has a high probability of happening.”

“Minako, think for five minutes. If someone as smart as you had met her today with unkind intentions, what exactly do you think would have happened?! You said it yourself, she took you somewhere private to talk about it. She showed you where she was living!”

Minako fumbled for a moment. “Well, she could have led me there just in case so that she could beat me up! Or maybe she-”

“Or maybe she’s a scared young woman who naïvely thought that she could trust someone she just met who showed her kindness.” Haruto cut her off.

“Haruto, you’re being ridiculous.” Minako said curtly.

He looked at her incredulously. “Am I?”

“Yes, you are. You’re coming up with scenarios that have such a tiny insignificant chance of happening and you’re acting like you didn’t want to throw her and her pumalope back out into the street not even four hours ago!”

“I never said that. Don’t put words in my mouth, Minako. Was I worried she was trying to hurt you? Yes. Did I want her to stay out there where she could get hurt? No. She’s the same age as you for fuck’s sake!”

“Oh, so you’re just projecting your fears of what could happen to me onto her? So glad to know that you think I couldn’t also protect myself out there.”

Haruto sighed and put his head in his hands.

Minako rolled her eyes. “Out of arguments then?”

Haruto reached over and held out his hand to her. Minako looked at him quizzically for a moment but accepted his hand.

“Haruto, I- Ah!”

With a swift motion, he tugged her toward him, grabbed her other arm roughly and spun her around before pulling her into him. He had crossed her arms underneath each other with the motion leaving her struggling. Having her in his lap, he quickly pinned her legs with his own.

“What the actual heck are you doing?!”

His voice dropped considerably into a shaky whisper. “How long did that take me?”

“Wh-what?”

“Answer the question.”

“I-it took less than a second, why?” Minako’s voice shook with anger.

“Because that’s all it takes, not even a second, for someone to take advantage of another.” He let go of her and she turned around to face him, confusion and hurt in her eyes. He reached out and gently rubbed her wrists where he had grabbed them. “I could have taken another second to hit your pressure points if I wanted to and then what?”

“I wouldn’t be able to bend… or move.”

“You’re smart, you’re fast, and you’re tough. So is she. But if a person with ill intent gains even a little bit of your, or in this case her, trust…”

Minako’s expression softened as the reality of his words hit her.

“I’m sorry if I scared you,” He started. “I just know you understand better by doing than by other means.”

Minako plunked back down on the couch next to him. It was her turn to put her head in her hands.

“What are we going to do?” She groaned.

Haruto reached an arm around and pulled her in. Her hands dropped from her face as she cuddled into her brother. He smiled at her and pet her hair in a soothing manner.

“We’re gonna do what we must. Dad always said that the world needs the Avatar, but right now I think her parents need her more than anything. They need to know she’s safe. The only way they’re gonna find out is if she’s found.” He shrugged his shoulders, almost defeatedly.

“Haruto… I promised her I wouldn’t turn her in.” Minako sniffed, tears threatening to fall. Haruto lifted her face up and looked her in the eyes. The brown one had grown dark like Haruto’s and the blue one swirled with a storm of emotion. Minako brought her own hand up to his and squeezed it for comfort. They sat like that for a moment before Haruto spoke, his voice firm, but reassuring.

“You have to make the choice between a promise and the world’s safety. What’s more important to you?”

Minako broke eye contact and looked down in thought. She bit her lower lip, her face scrunched with concentration. She sighed and let her face relax its contortions.

“We have to turn her in.” She said sadly.

They sat in silence after that. Holding onto each other, and feeling their stomachs twist with anxiety over the choice they had made and praying that it was the right one.

 

Liu stood in the hallway, listening to Haruto and Minako discuss. She stood in the shadows, fists balled tightly. A mixture of fear and betrayal stormed her face.

Felin nudged her leg, bringing her back into the present. The complicated emotions were replaced with a look of determination.

‘Well, he was right about one thing’ Liu thought to herself, ‘I was naïve to trust them.’

She maneuvered quietly through the hallway, Felin close in tow, as she went back to Haruto’s room to grab her bag. After that, she got herself to the nearest window. With her bag in one arm and Felin surprisingly in the other, she fled.

They couldn’t make her go back. She wouldn’t go back.

 

Minako awoke the next morning. Her hair was messier than a bundle of loose flying bison fur, but that was nothing that a scalding hot shower couldn’t fix. She made her way through her morning routine before making her way to the kitchen.

“Good morning, Liu!” she said as she fumbled through the refrigerator for eggs and bacon. “I’m thinking of making omelets if you want any. Haruto usually just has cereal but I bought some fire onions the other day so I thought I’d use them for breakfast.” Minako pulled the pan out of the drawer and began cracking eggs.

“How many eggs would you want in your omelet?” Minako asked as she heated up the stove. She yawned, then turned to look at Liu. “If you want cereal you can tell me, but you know I can cook after-” Minako realized that only Haruto was in the living room. “...Liu?” She called down the hallway.

Minako raised an eyebrow. She shrugged figuring Liu must have still been asleep. She knocked on the door to Haruto’s room. “Liu? You up yet? I’m making breakfast!”

There was silence.

She left the kitchen and checked the bathroom. Nothing. She checked the porch. Still nothing. After looking through every crevice in the house, including the damn sock drawer, she stormed back into the living room.

“Haruto!” She started shaking him.

“No thanks, I’ll just make cereal,” he mumbled.

“Damn it, Haruto! Listen to me!”

“Ah! What?” he spat.

“Liu’s missing!”

 

“I don’t know why I even bothered with those two,” Liu said. She walked the streets again with her trusty pumalope. “Which is more important, me or the world? Why does it have to be an ‘or’ situation? Like ‘sorry, world stuff; I know we only wanna take you away from everything you know while everyone everywhere watches you like you’re some kind of circus freak, but yeah, world, can’t help you.’ Who do they think they are?” Liu asked, looking to Felin.

The pumalope didn't answer. Instead, he decided now, on the dirty sidewalk, was the perfect time to lay down.

“Felin! What are you doing! We have to keep moving!” she commanded, tugging at his horns. Felin yawned and rolled over. “...if you really are a spiritual guide, you suck at it.”

Felin stood up quickly.

“That’s more like it. Come on,” Liu said as she pushed him forward. He wouldn’t budge. “Felin?”

The pumalope started vibrating with a low growl. His fur stood on end as he began to crouch. Liu looked around and realized something was wrong. There were plenty of people on the street, but most of them seemed to be avoiding looking at her. Felin’s instincts were right, and hopefully not too late.

Liu leaped onto the pumalope, who sprinted immediately. As they rushed away from the street several passersby dropped their act and began chasing after.

 

“We can’t just leave her out there alone!” Minako shouted. There was a gust of wind tugging at her hair. She and her brother stood on a private landing strip atop a plateau as Haruto began prepping his most prized possession, his show plane.

“What do you want us to do about it? She’s gone, Minako. She took off.”

“I’ll bet she heard us. She could probably hear you talking about turning her in and she did the only thing she could think of!”

“First of all, we both agreed. Don’t make it out like I’m the bad guy trying to get rid of her And second, maybe she realized we were right and decided to go home. Did you think of that?”

“Haruto…” Minako said, the energy in her voice depleted.

“What? What now? You got anything else to blame on me?”

“Haruto!”

“What?!” He asked. Minako pointed behind him. From the high vantage point they could see the harbor, and running across the harbor was a girl on a pumalope with several people in pursuit. “...Oh no.”

 

“Come on! Come on!” Liu coaxed Felin. The pumalope ran with all his might, jumping over pedestrians and around cars, anything it took to escape the onslaught from behind. Liu turned to see them coming.

Suddenly a large crate was dropped in the road up ahead. Felin came to an immediate halt, but now he and the Avatar were left surrounded.

“Nowhere left to run now,” said one of the thugs.

“What is your problem?!” Liu shouted.

“Me? I don’t have a problem. In fact, I’m about to buy me an Ember Island vacation with the reward I’m gonna collect on you.”

“Reward?” Liu considered for a moment how much her parents might pay to see her again. “Vacation… Ember Island…” A moment of uncomfortable clarity fell onto her. She wasn’t getting out of this. Not without a fight.

“Now, just get off the pumalope and come with us and no one has to get hurt,” he explained.

Liu nodded. She readied herself, shifting her weight to the left and… BOOM! She launched herself right and onto the ground, catapulting the pavement at him with her landing. She stood tall to face her opponents, who charged after her.

One of the thugs blasted fire straight at her. She commanded the ground upward to block, then spin kicked water from the harbor around her defense and threw the assailant away.

Another guy came in wielding swords. She pulled a wave of water onto the road to disorient him before launching stones his way.

She fought off the crowd as best as she could until she realized she had made a fatal error. She was so focussed on pinning them one by one that she allowed them to surround her.

“Careful guys,” one of them ordered. “Hold your ground in case she tries using air on us.”

“She’s not budging,” another guy said. “I bet she can’t use air yet. She’s too stiff.”

Liu’s eyes darted left and right, looking for an escape, looking for a plan, looking for anything. She sighed, and her shoulders dropped.

“Any last words?” asked one of the thugs.

“There’s a lot to choose from. For now, can I go with duck?” Liu answered.

“Duck?”

Liu dropped to the ground instantly. Before the band had a chance to react they watched a barrage of fire unleash around them. The leader of this bunch looked up to see.

“Are you serious?!” he shouted. To his surprise, a fire bending hippie had ridden in on a show plane to save the day. This was, at least for him, a first.

“Minako!” Liu shouted. Minako waved to her.

“Hey doofus, get off the wing!” Haruto called to her. Minako inched her way into the seat. “Grab the wheel and hold tight! When I say ‘now’, pull up!”

As the plane came down Haruto leaned his body out the side and reached as far as he could.

“He’s not serious,” Liu said, realizing the plan. “He can _not_ be serious. Oh my god, he’s serious. He’s coming straight at me _—_ what does he think is going to-?!” Felin shoved her off the harbor. She screamed as she flew forward, but a trustworthy hand took hold of her and pulled her into safety.

“NOW!” Haruto ordered. The plane pulled up and narrowly missed crashing into the warehouses of the harbor. With that, they flew away from the fray and into free skies above.

 

Liu sat down on the ground and held herself. They were safe now, but that didn’t mean she was ok. Minako sat down next to her. Haruto, trying to maintain his composure, stood by his plane and looked off to the distance, staring at the field around them.

“...I’m sorry,” Minako said. “We’re both so sorry for what we said.”

“What you said?” Liu asked.

“You don’t have to pretend. I should’ve realized you could hear us. I’m glad you did though, as weird as that sounds. If you hadn’t, and we turned you in, I would’ve felt horrible. You don’t deserve that, and we’re sorry for even considering it. ...right Haruto?” Minako explained.

“...You had your reasons for what you did. We… I should’ve realized that. I’m sorry.” A few tears started rolling down Liu’s face. Realizing this, Haruto got nervous. “Shit, ok I’m really sorry. Super mega sorry. For fuck’s sake, I’m super ultra sorry or whatever! I’ll never do it again!” Liu laughed solemnly.

“I know you are. That’s not why, I mean, you almost fell out of a plane to help me! No one has ever cared that much about me before! No one, except… I miss them. I miss them so much. My mom. My dad. And now…” she sighed in despair.

“Oh no!” Minako came to realize.

“What?” Haruto asked.

“How could we just do that?! We left Felin behind!”

“The pumalope?” Haruto asked.

“Yes, the pumalope!” Minako shouted and started swatting at him. “The Avatar’s pumalope who’s name is Felin by the way and we left him like we didn’t even care cause we’re monsters who didn’t think any of this through and so help me if anything happens to that cat because you convinced me to betray Liu’s trust I will BURN YOU!” Minako ranted.

“Raow,” said a large, puma-like antelope behind them.

“Felin?” Liu looked.

“Don’t think you can distract us with your stupid animal impressions!” Minako yelled at Haruto.

“No! It’s Felin!” Liu said, her heavy heart lifted. She embraced the world’s worst spiritual guide with her warmest hug, and he nuzzled the tears off her face.

“Huh… that was… about as likely as anything else that’s happened today,” Haruto said. He and Minako smiled as they watched the reunion.

“OK, I know what this calls for. Who’s up for cheap snacks and video games?” Minako asked. The discomfort from earlier returned. “...what?”

“Minako, I… I can’t stay here.” Liu explained.

“...what do you mean?”

“Those guys weren’t just after me cause I’m the Avatar. They were after a bounty.”

“...you mean reward? Cause yeah I’m sure your parents put out a reward for you but-”

“No, I mean bounty. My parents love me, but they would never put out enough money for someone to live it up on Ember Island. We’re not as rich as people think and they couldn’t afford something like that. Someone else is after me. Someone put a bounty on me, and now that they know I’m here it’s not safe.”

“...What if we-”

“She’s right,” Haruto interrupted. “She can’t stay here after what happened. We can’t even stay in this area for too long. Think about it, if they could find her, they can find a pumalope. If she stays here much longer…”

Liu nodded. She looked to Felin, ready to depart.

“Which is why we need to get her out of Republic City tonight,” Haruto told Minako. Liu turned, surprised. So did Minako.

“You mean…” Minako smiled.

“Get packed. We’ve gotta move,” he said proudly.

“You don’t have to do this,” Liu said, concern in her voice. “I don’t want to put you two in danger.”

“Then you better hurry so we can leave before danger finds us. Besides, we’re stuck with you now, aren’t we?” Haruto smiled. “Now are we going or not?”

Minako turned to her. “Well?”

Liu smiled back. “OK.” Minako grabbed her hand and helped her into the plane. “But wait, is your plane gonna be able to carry Felin? He’s really heavy.”

“It can carry Minako just fine.”

“Hey!” She yelled, smacking his arm. He laughed as they all clambered into the seats. The plane’s engine sputtered to life and Haruto quickly got them into the sky. He could tell that it was going to be a long day, but he smiled as he glanced at his three passengers happy in the knowledge that, for now at least, they were safe.

 

Smooth jazz played on a polished record player. The room was dimly lit and smelled of tobacco and wine. A shadowed figure sat by a fireplace, legs crossed. She was quiet, content.

The door blew open, spilling bright light with it. A man was tossed in, narrowly landing on his knees. He looked up to the shadows.

“I presume this is of the utmost importance.” She said, pouring herself more wine. The fringe of her black lace gloves was illuminated by the fire. “Or did you simply intend on interrupting my evening?”

The man was nudged from behind by the heel of a boot. “Go on.” he was instructed.

“I… we, actually, um… We found the Avatar,” he explained, shivering. The room remained quiet. The woman sat reactionless, the wine in her glass held still. “She’s here, in Republic City.”

“Yes, I’m aware of this. I’m sorry, but I believe you were meant to bring me news.” She told him.

“That, wait… you knew?”

“Of course I knew, and based on your discovery I assume she knows that she’s been found now, correct?”

The man’s face wrinkled in confusion. He kneeled in silent nervousness.

“Well, if she’s smart, she won’t stay in town for long. Personally, I have a dinner reservation tomorrow that I’d rather not cancel. Presuming it’s not too much trouble, would you mind following the girl out of town?” she asked with a condescending sense of politeness.

“Yes! Of course! Whatever you need, Ms. P-”

“What would lead you to assume I mean you?” she questioned, her voice unwavering. “You come to me, without even a courtesy call,”

“But I was brought here by-”

“You interrupt me.” She placed her glass down with an eerie calm, “You bring me intel I already know, only to insight relocation for the Avatar in your so-called discovery, and you actually believe I’d entrust you with this task?” Nothing. There was nothing in her voice. No compassion. No remorse. Not even anger. Nothing. The man’s face began to emulate her tone as it fell into a blank emptiness.

The woman, leaning into her palm, looked up to the door. “Kazue… Naharo… would you be so kind?”

“Of course,” smoothly responded Kazue, the woman standing behind the shell of a man on the floor. Her sleek silhouette was accompanied by that of the man next to her. “Can we do anything else for you?” Kazue added.

“Yes,” answered the woman from the shadows. “Close the door behind you.” A flicker of light bounced in scarlet lips as a hint of a grin was formed.

Kazue and Naharo made their way out of the room; the light of the hall illuminated them, revealing their dark-haired and pale-skinned visages to the man on the floor. Kazue’s heels clicked as they walked out, the only sound accompanying their exit. As the door closed, the last ray of light falling onto the failed bounty hunter was snuffed out. The music reached an end.


End file.
